


living in color

by neogotmyheart



Series: soulmate miniseries [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 21:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20234536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neogotmyheart/pseuds/neogotmyheart
Summary: johnny had a knack for capturing the beauty of the world through his camera even though he only saw things in black and white. during a partner project for one of his photography classes, he sees the world in a new light.





	living in color

Looking through the viewfinder of his camera, Johnny did his best to capture the grayscale beauty of the landscape in front of him. He had driven a couple of hours to the beach in order to complete this recent assignment for his favorite class. Being a photography major and not being able to see color wasn’t always the easiest thing. He had some professors that told him to drop his dream until he met his soulmate while others took the time to sit with him and criticize his techniques and help him improve with the vision that he had. His lack of colored sight didn’t affect his talent or his potential, it just forced him to get creative.

Johnny had learned to find beauty in his own way and he was proud to say that this combination of techniques was unique to him. He was known for his minimalistic style and use of light instead of colors. He stuck to photographing nature since the world coordinated the picture for him. He didn’t have to worry about anything clashing like he would if he was a set based photographer. He did want to try his hand at human models when his vision was no longer limited, but that was something that could only happen at an undetermined time. For now, he set his sights on what was possible and that was snapping pictures as the water broke against land.

Eventually, Johnny would see color. As soon as he found his soulmate, his life would be filled with rainbows and colors so intense, he may not even be able to look at them right away. He dreamed of the day not only because of its meaning to his passion but also because it would bring the one he was made for. Someone was made from the same star as him and their souls shared an unbreakable bond. It was something he thought about embarrassingly often when he was in his room alone at night. He was a romantic through and through and it was fitting that life without his soulmate was gray and dreary because that’s exactly how he feels.

The only problem with his tell was that he didn’t know when he would gain his sight. It could be at first glance, first touch, or even first kiss and so many people had it that it wasn’t like he could find someone like him and it would be a done deal. Johnny tried not to test his luck when he knew his heart was easily won. Even thinking that someone could be his soulmate sent his heart down a very steep path and before he knew it, he was faced with the dead-end of disappointment once again. A romantic through and through, he did his best to keep his distance from those who may not be his soulmate. It was hard, but he knew Fate would find a way to push the one he was made for towards him, even if he insisted on being stubborn. He was tired of trying to seek them out himself when he failed every time.

Capturing what he decided would be the last shot, he made his way back to his car, camera swinging around his neck as he walked through the sand. His roommate sat up against the hood, closing the lids on various jars filled with water so that he could do his own project for one of his classes. Johnny and Jaehyun came to this beach because of its benefits to both of them. Johnny would have a new landscape to photograph and Jaehyun could do whatever it is he does as a marine biology major.

Jaehyun looked up and smiled at him. “What do you think?”

Johnny looked back at the pale gray waves crashing against the dark shore. “What color is the water?”

“Blue.”

Johnny couldn’t even try to picture blue, but he knew that the best way for him to learn the colors would be by looking at his own photography when the time came. He knew grass was supposed to be green and the couch in his apartment was dark brown. He also knew the sky and water were both blue. Fire had oranges and yellows and reds that he was told he would only understand once he had full vision. Jaehyun did his best to explain to his roommate, never getting frustrated by the same question being asked over and over again. He delivered each answer with a smile on his face. 

Today was no different as he watched Johnny observe the ocean with his lips slightly upturned. Johnny turned back to face the other, doing his best to store the image of the scenery so he could fill in colors once he had the opportunity. With Jaehyun’s sleeves rolled up, Johnny could see the abstract portrait of a woman covering his forearm. Jaehyun usually had some form of art on his arms but neither knew the origin for certain. They narrowed it down to the source being his soulmate, but they didn’t know anyone with a mark or tell like his. 

“Nice tat,” Johnny pointed out.

“Unfortunately, it’s temporary,” he joked just like he always did. His finger traced over the darker lines of the picture, smiling at the piece fondly. “I really wish this one could stay. It may be my favorite so far.”

The face on his arm looked like it was created from a single line making the profile of the woman look undefined yet still so distinguishable. Johnny could see why Jaehyun liked it with the way the woman’s face was downturned and the lines of her shoulders tapering off, signaling the start and the end of the single line. The figure contorted slightly when Jaehyun pushed himself off the front of the old Jeep before he turned and grabbed his collection of samples and fully snapping Johnny out of his daze.

The camera hung from the strap on his neck as he walked closer, helping Jaehyun load all the jars up into the car before they could drive back to their university. 

* * *

In class come Monday, Johnny had an entire portfolio ready to turn in. The new project would be assigned today and if he remembered correctly, it was supposed to be with a partner. Johnny had a friend from when they had a class together in a previous semester but the odds of them being paired up were slim considering the class held about a hundred students. He still held out hope anyway, knowing that he worked well with his friend.

The list of partners rang out until eventually, he heard his own name, head shooting up to look at his professor.

“Johnny Seo, you’ll be partnered with Miss ___ ___. I am excited to see what you two turn in.” The professor smiled at them before moving on through the rest of the list.

Johnny felt like his heart could pound straight out of his chest as he turned to find the person who his professor named. He knew the name was familiar but he didn’t want his suspicions to be true considering he had developed quite an unfortunate crush on the person that name belonged to.

It was rare that he developed a crush anymore since he had been so used to not entertaining them. However, when he walked into this class on the very first day and his eyes met yours, he knew he was falling into the oh-so-familiar trap once again. The pull to you was different somehow, but he thought that maybe he could avoid it. You sat across the room and had your own little group of friends, but it was just his luck that you would become his partner for this two-week long project.

You walked up to him after class was dismissed confirming that you were the one he was paired with, a hesitant smile gracing your lips. “Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself. We’re partners.”

Johnny fumbled with his stuff, trying his best to get it all in his bag but he knew that to you, he probably just seemed clumsy. In reality, he just needed something to do to avoid the butterflies that came when he looked you in the eye. He was utterly pathetic, truly.

“Um, yeah, of course.” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to find his bearings and failing miserably. “I’m Johnny.”

“___. So, we’re supposed to have a picture for every letter in the alphabet, right?” You looked at a piece of paper in your hand before flipping it over and writing A to Z in a line down the page.

“Yeah,” Johnny answered as he watched you. He already had an idea, but he didn’t want to make you feel like you didn’t have a say in the project. He cleared his throat lightly before continuing. “I know this place outside of town. It’s a forest that leads into a hiking trail and I'm sure we can find plenty of stuff there and then use the rest of the two weeks to fill in the gaps.”

“I forgot you shot mostly landscape.” You looked up at him from the paper before putting the stuff away in your bag.

Johnny didn’t know how you knew about his preferences, but he chose to just move past it. “Is that bad?”

“Not at all,” you shook your head in an attempt to reassure him. “I do mostly studio work, but that’s kind of hard to do an alphabet project for because it would be super boring and look like I was just taking pictures for an online store. Also, it’s a little bit of a cop-out.”

He could tell you were insecure about your preferred shooting method and took the opportunity to encourage you the best he could. He knew what it was like to think that your photos are less valuable for whatever reason your brain felt like presenting at the time. “I think there’s beauty in simplicity. There’s also a certain eye for it. I’ve never been able to properly shoot studio. Everything comes out all wrong and it just doesn’t look interesting.”

You gave a small smile, and Johnny chose to believe it was because his encouragement helped a little even if you could just be smiling to be polite. “Well, for this project, I’m glad I can rely on your specialty. Maybe after it’s all over, I can help you with studio shoots because I think we have a studio project before the end of the semester.”

“I would really appreciate that, actually. Thank you,” he agreed without even giving a second thought. When you smiled and said your goodbyes, Johnny silently kicked himself. How was he supposed to say no when you were smiling at him like that? For avoiding his crushes, he was failing at this one miserably. After you walked out of the room, he sank back into his chair, dropping his head on the desk. When he looked up, he found a slip of paper with your name and number in front of him and he pocketed it before leaving the room to inevitably vent about his failure to keep his emotions in check to his unsuspecting roommate.

* * *

Johnny’s first time meeting with you for the project was on a crisp Saturday morning. The fall breeze ruffled his hair as he walked up to your apartment door, taking a deep breath. This was a group project and he was treating the whole thing like a first date. All the two of you would be doing would be hiking through a forest, sharing an experience of doing the thing you’re both passionate about, and then getting lunch. This wasn’t like a date at all. It was for an assignment and nothing more.

He took a deep breath as he gently rapped on the door. You answered shortly after he knocked with your hair tied up and face practically make up free as you wore some simple workout clothes and a jacket tied around your waist. Your camera hung freely from your neck with your extra lenses were in your backpack. Your bright smile lit up the dim entryway as you walked out and closed the door behind you.

“Ready to go?” You ask, beaming with excitement as you start to lead him down the walkway.

“Yeah. I meant to ask earlier but it’s like a 45-minute drive. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I don’t have much to do today, anyway, since I’m basically alone this weekend. My roommate met her soulmate so they’re going through the whole ‘getting to know each other’ phase and whatnot.” You waved your hands as you walked backward, only turning back around when you finished talking.

Johnny wondered when he would have that experience of his own but he tried not to let jealousy boil through him considering he didn’t even know the people you were talking about. “That’s exciting, at least.”

You smiled nodding your head. “They’re perfect for each other, honestly. Both a little dumb, but they can tell their kids that the first time they met, they just walked away from each other.”

“On purpose?” Johnny asked, eyes widening.

Laughing, you explained further. “No. On accident. They’re both a little scatterbrained but I still give them a hard time because I would have never let that happen.”

“Yeah, I can’t say I would either, honestly.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he opened his car door for you. “I’ve just waited so long for my soulmate that when I finally meet them, it wouldn’t matter what I was doing. I would drop everything for them.”

When he got in the car, you answered. “That’s how I felt. Like, I know I’m probably more romantic than most and I probably sound stupid but you were literally handcrafted for this other person. I know you have your whole life, but at the same time, you have your whole life, you know? You have a lifetime to make memories with someone and I would want to use every moment I could.”

Johnny couldn’t do anything but stare at you, unable to turn the keys and start the car because of how absolutely dumbfounded he was by the words that were leaving your mouth. This entire time he had felt like he was reading so much into this because everyone around him lived such a simple life with a soulmate just being something they knew they would get eventually. Johnny never went out searching because he knew that wasn’t how Fate worked, but that didn’t change the fact that he always woke up hoping that today would be the day color would be brought into his world. Knowing someone felt as strongly about the eternal bond that was shared between people was reassuring while also being disheartening. Here you were next to him putting words into feelings he had for years but you weren’t the one to bring color to his vision.

He focused on bonding over the common beliefs the two of you shared while doing his best to not get attached. “I don’t think you sound stupid at all. Sometimes I wish I could know when I would meet my soulmate so I wouldn’t focus so hard on it every day.”

“Yeah, doesn’t seem like either of us were blessed with that soulmate mark.” You laughed, hands tracing over your wrist where a timer could be but wasn’t. “Hey, sorry to like derail the whole conversation earlier. Tell me about this place we’re taking pictures at.”

Johnny finally relaxed, more comfortable with the topic of photography. The last time he had been to this area was freshman year when he and a few of his friends went hiking and camped out one weekend. Everything he was saying was coming from his slightly blurry memory. He described the little hiking trail and the forest behind it all the while explaining the ideas that he had for different letters. He had cleared out about half of the alphabet leaving you to kinda figure out the rest. 

You began writing down different ideas as he drove, doing your best to come up with concepts and picture titles without ever actually seeing the area he was taking you. You thought out loud and Johnny found your process amusing as you sketched on some loose paper before adding a list of words to a certain letter. After tapping the eraser of your pencil on your spiral a few times, you looked at him.

“This may be way too personal, but have you ever felt like this wasn’t for you or that you weren’t good at photography?”

“All the time. But, I make pretty good grades and I think I do an alright job considering I’m pretty limited.”

You nodded. “Wait. What do you mean you’re limited?”

“I can’t exactly see colors. I didn’t want to tell you because I was scared you would feel burdened, but yeah.” His hand drummed on the steering wheel nervously. Most people would complain about being partnered with someone like him and usually, they were open about their disappointment. After receiving a few too many negative comments, Johnny had chosen to keep what he considered a hindrance to himself.

“I can’t either,” you singsonged, closing your spiral and turning in your seat to look at him.

“Can’t see colors?” Johnny couldn’t help but take a quick glance at you in order to make sure you were being honest as if his quick gaze could work like a lie detector.

“Nope,” you answered, leaning back in the seat of the car. “People always ask me why I want to be a photographer when I can’t even technically see, but I always think of how much I’ll be able to do with my current skills when I have access to everything the world has to offer. Sometimes I get really discouraged, though, because I know I’m not as good as everyone else and it feels like I’m falling behind because of something I have no control over.”

“I feel like they just copy-pasted me into a girl,” Johnny laughed, turning into the little parking lot of the hiking trail. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe you were the one he was supposed to be waiting on. A strand of your hair had fallen into your face as you worked on filling in the holes of the assignment and he watched you sit like that for a moment. He was probably just getting his hopes up like he had many times before. Color vision, or really a lack thereof, was one of the most common soulmate tells. Johnny had met plenty of people like him and had let himself get attached every time. He felt himself falling into the same pattern with you and he didn’t know if it was because he actually had feelings for you or if he just wanted to so he could finally know his soulmate.

Right now, he needed to focus on his project. This was a big portion of their grade and it was important to his future. If you were really his soulmate, Fate would find a way to convince him. For right now, all that mattered was the camera and the alphabet.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walked through the small patch of grass before turning and walking into the forest that covered the expanse of the clearing on his right side.

You were in step behind him, stopping every now and then to take pictures either for personal use or for the project in some way. Johnny thought it was endearing how your eyes filled with wonder at certain parts in the forest where the branches crossed just right and let in the perfect amount of light. For being a studio photographer, you seemed to have an eye for where a good shot could be. Johnny took a few different angles than you at times, but he was sure your pictures still turned out well.

The trail became slim and barely visible as Johnny continued on, only slowing to lift himself up onto a ledge above him. When he turned around, you were waiting with your hands on your hips and a single eyebrow raised.

“Okay, Mr. Showoff Nature Man,” you teased, waving your hands before walking over to the ledge yourself. You were quite a bit shorter than him so the edge came to your shoulder, making it a lot harder for you to haul yourself up to where Johnny was standing.

Johnny crouched down, extending his hand just for you to wave him off.

“I’ve got it,” you said before trying and failing to get up to the higher ground. “Okay, I don’t have it at all. Give me your hand.”

He laughed but still admired your attempt before reaching out to hold onto you. The second his fingers grazed the smooth skin of your wrist, his entire world went black. He closed his eyes before rubbing at them furiously. Having black and white vision wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was better than having no vision at all. He tried to steady his breathing when he heard you call out from below.

“Johnny? Johnny, open your eyes.”

“I can’t see anything.”

“You can. I promise you can.”

Johnny blinked a few times before color bled through his vision. What he imagined was green covered the trees and the ground beneath him and he struggled to take it all in before realizing what it meant. He scrambled to the edge of his high perch before dropping back down to meet you. He had met his soulmate in the form of a passionate photography major that shared his same fears and doubts. He reached out for you, holding your hand in his as his eyes widened, soaking in the color of your skin, your hair, your eyes, your lips. Everything about you was breathtakingly beautiful now that he had the rainbow to bring all your features to life.

“I think I like you better in black and white,” you teased, a smile taking over your face.

Johnny pushed you lightly before dragging you up to your feet. “I just can’t believe it.”

“I had a suspicion, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up just to be wrong. Everything just seemed too good to be true,” you admitted, entwining your fingers with his and causing his heart to do a little jump.

“Do you think our professor knew?” Johnny couldn’t help but wonder if that was his professor's plan the whole time. Maybe he knew before the two of them did.

You shrugged. “He probably just knew that we were the only two photography majors that couldn’t see color.”

Johnny nodded. “Well, do we finish our project or do we ditch and go do something fun?”

“Are you telling me that wandering around a forest while engaging in our passions together isn’t fun or appealing enough for you?”

“Tell you what. We finish the half of the alphabet we had planned and then we dip and go on a real date that doesn’t have a weird assignment for a grade.”

You agreed before taking off away from Johnny and back out of the forest. “Do we have ideas for A and E?”

Johnny flipped through the pages of your spiral before coming across your ideas for the project. “Only A, but it’s for apple.”

“Yeah, no. I hate that. Scratch it out. What if we do Adam and Eve. It’s our first time seeing color and we found our soulmates, so in a way, this is our own beginning.”

“Poetic. Do you wanna tell our professor about what happened?”

“I think it’ll make the project feel more personal and give more meaning to the pictures.” You walked through high grass before making your way to a patch of wildflowers and sitting in the middle of them. 

Colors that didn’t even have names yet surrounded you as you pulled your knees to your chest. Your hair was barely staying in its ponytail making it look like you had just run a few miles. The glow to your skin however made you look lively and excited. The contrast was beautiful and explained what the two had just been through better than words ever could. 

Johnny lifted his camera to take a picture of you and as soon as he let his camera hang, you were taking a picture of him where he stood. 

“This was corny,” Johnny turned away from you to hide the flush that was now covering his face.

You got up, skipping over to him. When you reached him, you did your best to throw your arm around his shoulder despite your height. When that didn’t work, you settled for reaching around his waist while he pulled you into him. Everything already felt so natural with you, and Johnny couldn’t help but lean down and press a kiss to the top of your head.

“Maybe it was, but I think you thought it was sweet.”

* * *

The two weeks of your project turned into multiple dates filled with late nights and countless pictures. It gave the two of you a reason to see each other even though you didn’t really need one. You fit together like the last two pieces of a puzzle. Johnny couldn’t even begin to fathom how he had ever thought someone else was made for him now that he had you. It all seemed so obvious now when you laid across his brown leather couch, flipping through the photos from the day, periodically stopping to show him what was illuminated on your screen. When you fell asleep with your head on his lap, Johnny would run his fingers through your hair, admiring the way the light from his lamp caught certain strands and made them glow. You were the one his soul belonged to.

When the two of you turned in your project, it ended up consisting of mostly pictures of each other. Neither of you seemed to be able to resist capturing the way the other looked in different colored light. Johnny liked the way the neon lights danced across your face while walking with you downtown one night. You liked the way he looked in the retro ice cream shop as he leaned against the colorful jukebox. His dark outfit standing out against the bright pastels that filled the room. He liked the way you looked when you went riding around the park, the small lake behind you as you sat on top of a pale yellow bicycle. You liked the way he looked surrounded by ducks eagerly waiting for him to be fed the pieces of bread he was frantically tearing apart.

The pictures were printed twice, once for the assignment and once to keep for yourselves. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hope you guys liked the second story in the soulmates mini series! 
> 
> tumblr: lovingyong 
> 
> come say hi!


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